2002 Roadtrek 200 P on Chevy Express. Side door Hinge side hardware question

[PJW73NH]

Greetings.

I have a question re my side door. On the hinge side, there is a mechanism that keeps the door from opening too far and slamming against the front passenger door.

This mechanism is "anchored" on the hinge side door stile. There is a spring that applies constant pressure to the mechanism. I think mine may be broken and/or not installed correctly. Please see attached pics.

If anyone has a 2000-2003 RT 200P on an Express chassis, I would surely appreciate a picture of this spring mechanism. I am probably going to have to order the part from RT, but in the past they have not been very helpful with things like this.

Thanks In advance.

[SteveJ]

That looks like it's a different spring MacGivered in to replace the old spring, probably due to the difficulty in replacing. It looks to function the same as the apparent factory spring on my '00.

I actually like the van side location of the spring contact better on your as mine is against the van body, not the bracket.

Just me, but I would call it good.

Poste while at Hickory Creek COE site just east of Lafayette, AR.

[PJW73NH]

Hi Steve,

I agree, though I think it may be broken and they did the best they could.

A friend of mine found this: Though I find it a bit steep considering I only need the spring. I may try a local hardware store and see if I can improve on "MacGuyver's" attempt.

https://www.carid.com/dorman/rear-dr...n-924-156.html

Thnaks.

[rtbill]

Late to the party....

Any resolution? The spring on our 2001 200 V has broken. The bolt pattern in the Dorman part's mounting plate does not match the existing part. I wonder if vans built for Canada had a different part?

I can't find a matching spring from any industrial torsion spring suppliers.

[PJW73NH]

Sorry to say no. I bastardized mine with a combination of the Dorman mounting bracket, and the original RT "lever". It is not very elegant, and does not work all that well. I am rather angry that it will cots $150 for the correct part. If you find a better. reasonably priced way, please let me know.

[rtbill]

Thanks. I bought a package of springs from Amazon, linked below. These are as similar to the original as I could find -- right hand, 3/8" ID, 1/16" wire dia, 2" legs.

The springs had too many turns to fit in the cutout on the strap. I unwound a couple of the turns -- not easy. Unwinding the turns made one of the legs longer. I trimmed the excess length from that leg. The result is pretty similar to the original, although without the nicely fitted end yours has. The left leg is installed the same as the original, against the body behind the gasket.

I was annoyed to have to buy ten springs, but as it turned out I needed a few for practice.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[PJW73NH]

Wow Rt, Excellent !!! Very nice repair !!!!

If I still have my old parts (as you know from above I had to do some mods I'll have to check at home) but if I still have them, I may be able to "soften the blow" of you having to buy 10. If you want to sell a couple/few, I'd be glad to split the cost with you.

Message me and I'll check at home for my original parts.

Thanks.

P..../NH

[PJW73NH]

RTBill,

I just got done with the door fix. I am very happy with it. I found the best way to "un-coil" the two extra coils was to put one leg in a vise, and then with the coils and leg you want to "un-coil" face up, slide a thin piece of metal in between the top coil and the rest. This will act as heat shield/sink. I used a propane torch on VERY low to VERY GENTLY heat the topmost coil and gently unroll it with a pair of pliers. Do this is several stages. Allowing it to cool each time. If you try and "un-coil" the spring with heating, they will break very easily.

It worked very well for me. Don't get it too hot or the heat will go into the other coils and it will lose its tension. Just enough heat so that it starts to bend with mild pressure on the pliers. As I mentioned, do this in several stages. Not all at once.

It was trial and error to get the two legs in the best relative position for the best recoil.

Thanks again.

[rtbill]

That's great! I will remember the heating trick in case I have to fit another spring.

[Ron J. Moore]

That was an excellent DIY fix! If you have the time, you might consider fabricating a spare. ...throw it it in your tool box. Ron

[PJW73NH]

Thanks Ron. Good idea.

RtBill gets the lions share of the credit. He found the closest spring that would work. I simply improvised it a little. Without Bill's "spring knowledge", mine would have stayed as above in my earlier posts.

I tried finding a spring but just didn't have any luck. Hard to believe RoadTrek charges close to $150 US for this part.

[PJW73NH]

UPDATE:
Well, the spring finally weakened, and the "catch" came out of the door. When it did, someone closed the door and bent the bar.

I'm done dealing with it (really the wife is). I went ahead and told my local RV parts folks to order it for me. I had gotten the quote (originally) two years ago.

He told me (as most of us know by now) Roadtrek has ceased operations. He can not order parts from them. Oh well. You snooze you lose.

I've tried a few online places and given them the part number that my guy gave me originally, and they can't seem to cross reference/find it.

Anyone else have any ideas? Maybe a Roadtrek "boneyard"?

Thanks.

[rtbill]

Bummer. That should be a pretty easy part for a machine shop to copy. If you were in Seattle I know exactly where to send you. Maybe with some forethought a better spring arrangement could be incorporated, although I have no ideas right now.

[moosey]

We've got a 2000 RT V-200 on an Express chassis. The hinge mechanism you're dealing with didn't come with the vehicle when we bought it 2 years ago. In place of that, what we have is a strap that acts as, I suppose, the original hinge mechanism. The person we bought it from said she had her mechanic take out the original hinge because, for some reason, it annoyed her. I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and see if I can post it.

In any event, whatever the original hinge was supposed to do, we haven't missed. The door opens and closes just fine.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by moosey

We've got a 2000 RT V-200 on an Express chassis. The hinge mechanism you're dealing with didn't come with the vehicle when we bought it 2 years ago. In place of that, what we have is a strap that acts as, I suppose, the original hinge mechanism. The person we bought it from said she had her mechanic take out the original hinge because, for some reason, it annoyed her. I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and see if I can post it.

In any event, whatever the original hinge was supposed to do, we haven't missed. The door opens and closes just fine.

Welcome to the forum moosey!

[PJW73NH]

Hey Moosey,

Welcome to the forum. Yes, I would LOVE to see a few pics of the strap. I was thinking along the same lines. Please post.

I am particularly concerned now, because if the door DOES swing open with a stiff wind or gravity and break something, I (we) can no longer get RT proprietary parts for repairs.

I read somewhere that another company (of french descent) may be picking up the RT facilities, but in a VERY scaled down manner. I doubt they would have access to parts from vehicles as old as mine (ours).

[moosey]

Ok...here's the strap. Hope it posts! Yeah...we've worried about if a big gust of wind extended the door too far and too quickly so we just try and keep it in mind.

[PJW73NH]

Thank you.

What is it attached to on the inside of the door?

[moosey]

Originally Posted by PJW73NH

Thank you.

What is it attached to on the inside of the door?

On the door side, there is sort of a vertical bar that extends about an inch above the cut out on the inside...the strap is looped around that. I suppose the "bar" is what remains from the original hinge installation?

[PJW73NH]

Great pic Moosey. Thanks.